


Stray

by NeelyO, RhetoricalQuestions



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: A stray kitten is found, Digital Art, Digital Painting, Fanart, Friendship, Gen, Hot Chocolate, Original Artwork, the kitten will be okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:22:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27663314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeelyO/pseuds/NeelyO, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhetoricalQuestions/pseuds/RhetoricalQuestions
Summary: Ray and Ronnie discover a stray kitten on a cold night. The kitten needs to be cared for! A story with original artwork.
Relationships: Ray Butani & Ronnie Lee
Comments: 52
Kudos: 39
Collections: Schitt's Creek: Frozen Over (2020)





	Stray

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SCFrozenOver2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SCFrozenOver2020) collection. 



> Thank you to the anon prompter who left this amazing prompt:
> 
> Ray takes in a pet. (It's cold! What was he going to do, leave it to freeze?) The problem is, he's allergic. Ronnie is not responsible for this pet! Yet somehow they end up sharing care duties.

Ray bustled around his kitchen with a smile on his face. He knew he almost always had a smile on his face. And why not? Life was good, here in Schitt’s Creek. 

It was snowing, and it was the holidays, and Ray _loved_ the holidays. Any and all holidays. The winter holidays, especially, as festive music, brightly-colored sweaters, ice skating, hot cocoa, and anything peppermint-flavored or scented were his very favorite things. And snow made Schitt’s Creek look like the inside of a snowglobe and was there anything more delightful than that? Not that he could think of.

The water was about to boil, and he had two mugs of hot cocoa ready to be stirred. The mini marshmallows were open and waiting. Ronnie would be here any moment for their weekly Friday evening cribbage game, and he was ready for her. READY. Ray grinned. Ronnie had won the last 17 weeks in a row, but he was feeling very good this week. Very good indeed. 

Ronnie’s firm _rap-rap_ on his back door came at the exact moment that the kettle whistled. Her timing was always so perfect! When Ray opened the door, the gust of cold air affirmed his choice to wear his green turtleneck sweater with the holly berry design. He barely felt the cold with this sweater on, actually.

“Ray,” Ronnie said as she came in and stomped her boots on the indoor mat.

“Ronnie, my friend, I’m so glad to see you this fine evening!” Ray smiled even more widely than he had been previously. For all her taciturn demeanor, Ronnie was one of his closest friends. He trusted her more than his own mother, sometimes.

Ronnie removed her gloves, her hat, her coat, and her scarf and was finally ready to sit down. Ray saw that her sweater was red and had to remark on it right away. 

“Ronnie, you are the holly berry to my holly leaves! Look at us in complementary red and green sweaters today! It’s like we called each other before we got dressed this morning.” 

Ronnie rolled her eyes and grunted under her breath. “Okay, Ray, yeah, it’s like we called each other. You got our cocoa ready? It’s cold today.”

Ray’s laughter carried him back over to the kettle to make the two steaming cups. Ronnie always made tea when they met at her house, and she had a great variety to choose from. In Ray’s mind, though, this kind of weather called for nothing short of hot cocoa—with as many mini marshmallows as would fit in the mug. 

Soon they were both settled in their customary places, ready to begin play. Ray won the cut and began shuffling the deck. Shuffling and dealing was a perfect time to tell Ronnie about his upcoming plans for his podcast. 

“Here’s some exciting news. I have the first six weeks of the new year mapped out for my podcast! The overall arc is called ‘Six Tiers of Ray.’ Each week will feature a discussion of a different kind of cake—Carrot, Angel Food, Red Velvet, Pineapple Upside Down, Devil’s Food, and finally Battenberg.”

Ronnie cut Ray off more sharply than usual. “Ray, do you hear that? What is that? Do you have the TV on somewhere?”

“What do you mean? I don’t hear anything. But then, my hearing is sometimes compromised due to all the loud music I played with my band in high school, _Ray’s Alpine Squeezebox Extravaganza,_ also known as RASE. You wouldn’t think two accordions and an Alpenhorn could cause hearing problems! My doctor has always been skeptical that was really the cause, but I don’t know what else it could have been…”

Ronnie got up and poked her head into the living room, but Ray knew the TV wasn’t on. Neither was the radio, which Ronnie double-checked there on the shelf in the kitchen. 

“I guess I hear some kind of animal noise, scratching and crying, maybe?” Ronnie made her way to the back door and opened it a crack. Once the door was open Ray could hear the sound clearly.

“Why Ronnie, that’s a cat meowing! Is there a cat out back? It’s so cold and wet out there, I wonder why a cat isn’t inside safe and warm right now?” Ray went over and opened the door further, displacing Ronnie who moved aside with a shrug and stepped away from the cold draft.

Ray stuck his head outside the door and looked out into the backyard. It was dark, but the back porch light was on and there was also the light from the kitchen streaming out of the windows. The night was quiet and still—no meowing, no sign of a cat. Maybe he’d heard wrong? 

Ray was about to give up and pull himself back inside when there was a movement at the bottom of the steps. A small black cat, a kitten really, put its front paws on the lowest step and looked up at Ray with the largest, darkest eyes he’d ever seen.

“Oh my goodness look at you! So tiny and wet and cold!” Ray looked around his backyard as if the owner of the kitten, or maybe its mother, would suddenly appear to take care of it, but no one materialized. Ray refocused his eyes on the tiny creature who he could now see was shivering so much that it couldn’t mount the steps. But it could cry—it emitted an extremely loud and pathetic _meowwwww_ that spurred Ray to action.

He quickly descended the stairs, picked up the little mite, and with equal speed made his way back into the house, shutting the door against the increasing coldness. 

“Ronnie, look here! You were right! The noise you heard was an animal,” Ray said as he re-entered the kitchen, holding tight to the shivering bundle of black fur.

“What the fuck, Ray?” Ronnie stepped aside and out of his way as he made for the cupboard where he kept his extra towels. “Is that a cat?”

“Not a cat—a kitten! Oh my goodness he’s shivering. I need to get him dried off and warmed up.” Ray bustled around shaking out towels with one hand while still clutching the kitten against his chest. Ronnie stood by, sipping her hot cocoa and watching Ray through half-closed eyes. 

The kitten seemed happy to get dry. Ray rubbed him all over with first one towel and then another. He hummed under his breath, singing “tiny, tiny kitty” to a tune that he made up as he went. He really needed to add “Jingle Composition” to his website as an option for people who needed it. 

Luckily the kitchen was warming back up after the door had been open. Ray still wanted to be sure the kitten was very warm after being outside for who knew how long. He looked over to Ronnie with a smile—of course. 

“Ronnie, could you please hold the kitten here on the towels while I go find a blanket? I’d like to wrap him up and then call the Jensens next door. They just adopted two kittens and I’ll bet I can get some food from them.”

Ronnie put her mug down and rolled her eyes. “Alright, but make it quick. I don’t really do cats.”

Ray laughed as he left the room. Ronnie always had a great retort for anything he said. It was one reason they were such good friends.

He pulled his softest seasonal lap blanket from the linen closet. He’d meant to get it out this week anyway, since it was a soft blue with a snowflake pattern. It would keep the kitten very warm _and_ it would look lovely against his black fur. He also gave the Jensen family a quick call, and they promised to bring over some food.

“How’s he doing, Ronnie?” Ray asked as he returned to the kitchen. 

“First off, I hate to tell you but ‘he’ is actually a ‘she’. So get your pronouns correct, Ray. And second, her claws are pretty sharp and I’m ready to not be holding onto her anymore.” Ronnie held the kitten out towards Ray and shook her a little, which hurried him up to go take her in his arms.

“A girl! A little girl kitten. Well isn’t that perfect! We need to make her as comfortable as possible, and see about reuniting her with her family.”

“How do we even know she has a family, Ray? She looks pretty skinny and dirty. Bet she’s been outside for awhile,” Ronnie replied.

“Well, when Fisher is back from visiting their family on Monday and the Greater Elms Shelter reopens, I’ll take her in. Maybe she’s chipped, or maybe someone has let Fisher know that their beloved family kitten has gone missing.”

“I’ll never understand why the shelter only has one person to run everything. Whenever Fisher goes to see their parents, there aren’t any services,” Ronnie grumbled as she pulled out her chair. “Any chance we’re getting back to this game tonight, or is this kitten a wet blanket on our plans?”

Ray had been very carefully folding the blanket and wrapping it carefully around the kitten, all while continuing to sing under his breath. He looked up. “I do think the game is over, Ronnie. This is exciting! We get to put together some food for this kitten, make a bed for her, maybe make a toy or two...doesn’t that all sound much more fun than cribbage?” 

Ray’s mind was running through the steps of sewing and stuffing a small mouse-like toy versus finding a stick and some yarn and putting together a fishing-pole-type toy. He thought he had the materials for either project. With Ronnie’s help, they could probably do both!

“Do you think we should name her? She’ll be here all weekend, after all.”

Ronnie snorted a laugh. “I can see where you will want to name her. I’d expect nothing less. With how you’ve taken to her already, I’m surprised you don’t have your own cat, to be honest.”

“Oh, I’ve been allergic my whole life, according to my mother! Everyone in my family is. I’ll have to be very careful while the kitten is here and keep the antihistamines handy. I’m curious to see when my eyes will start to water. That should happen first, and then the sneezing will start.” His family had never had any cats, so he’d never had to go through the symptoms, but according to his mother they sounded awful.

“So, names! How about something seasonal, like Frosty, or maybe Peppermint? Or Northie, for North Pole! That’s a good one. Do you have any ideas for names, Ronnie?”

“Not my cat, Ray. Choose whatever name you like.”

“I think we’ll need to go with Peppermint, then. I really like that one. Hey, little Pepper, how are you? Are you feeling warmer? Feeling drier?” Ray scratched in between the kitten’s ears, and she immediately rubbed her head up into his fingers. He could hear her purring. He hoped his allergies held back for awhile longer. He was really enjoying having a cat, even if it ended up being just for the weekend.

A few minutes later a quick knock on the door and a thank you to Randy Jensen and Ray was getting a bowl all set with food for Peppermint. Ronnie acted like she was ready to leave the entire time Ray bustled around the kitchen, but she didn’t go. Instead, she caught Ray up on some of the Town Council gossip. He didn’t miss being on the Council, as he was much too busy working and developing his businesses. But he _did_ miss all the intrigue that happened at Town Hall on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. Ronnie was always generous with the details. 

Eventually they were just sitting together, laughing and talking in the warm kitchen, with Peppermint curled up in the blanket on Ray’s lap. He stroked the kitten absentmindedly as he told Ronnie about the date he’d been on the previous weekend. 

“Thankfully we parted as friends, even though there wasn’t a romantic spark. And I say thankfully because since Mark also has a closet organizing business, I’ll see him at the Triple C meeting in Elm Grove tomorrow. It would be so awkward if we had to avoid each other. There are only 10 or so people in the group!”

Ray stopped short. Lots of things about the Contemporary Closet Collective were awkward, including both their 2:45pm meeting time and their motto: _We Contain Multitudes!_ But now in addition to making sure things weren’t weird with Mark, he needed to worry about Peppermint. He’d be gone starting at lunchtime—what would that mean for the kitten? Would it be okay to leave her alone? Ray glanced over at Ronnie and a sly grin spread across his face.

“Ronnie,” Ray started with his best salesman voice.

“No.”

“Ronnie, I need a favor.”

“Sorry, nope.” Ronnie stood up and started to bundle up to head out. Ray had to close this deal now.

“Now Ronnie, just listen. This is great and very easy. I’ll be in Elm Grove tomorrow after lunch for my meeting and probably won’t be home until after dinner time. I don’t want Pepper to be alone that long, she might get scared.”

Ray stood up and held Peppermint close to his face, and the kitten rubbed her forehead against his chin several times. 

“You could come by in the afternoon, just to be sure she is doing okay. You wouldn’t have to stay long. Just play with her a bit, make sure she’s eaten, maybe scratch her head here between her ears?”

“Ray, I thought you said you were allergic to cats, but she is all over your face right now and you aren’t sneezing at all. I think your mom may have just not wanted a cat.”

Ray shut one eye and thought for a moment. With a laugh, he replied, “Ronnie, that’s so funny! I bet you’re right! Oh, I can hardly wait to call my mother and verify that with her. That’s _hysterical!”_

Ronnie had her hand on the doorknob and had successfully distracted him from the issue at hand. But he returned to it.

“So Ronnie, I can count on you tomorrow? Peppermint would love a visit from her Auntie Ronnie while Daddy Ray is away.” 

Ronnie heaved a sigh. As she glared at Ray, she reached out a finger to rub between Peppermint’s eyes. “Fine. I’ll come by tomorrow afternoon. To check on her. Now goodnight. And thanks for the cocoa.”

“Goodnight, my friend. Thank you!” Ray waved goodbye, locked the door, and tidied everything all while holding Peppermint close in one hand. He took her blanket upstairs with him to his room so he could make her comfortable on the end of his bed. That was a good plan. Pepper would be very cozy sleeping nearby.

~~~~~

The next morning Ray woke up before it was completely light, at the same time he always did. He was surprised to find that Peppermint had migrated during the night from her blanket at the end of the bed to his chest. More like his neck, really, just below his chin. It felt like when he accidentally tried on one of the cat hair scarves from Rose Apothecary, except this scarf had started to wake up and was stretching out her paws and yawning very wide. 

Ray took a deep breath in and revelled in his clear nasal passages. No sneezing. No watery eyes. He would definitely be calling his mother this weekend.

The morning passed quickly as he fed Peppermint, fed himself, got a shower (that was interrupted twice by Peppermint sticking her face behind the shower curtain), played with Peppermint, and prepared materials for his meeting. Suddenly it was noon and about time to head out.

He brought Pepper’s blanket downstairs and put it on the couch, surrounding it with a couple of pillows. He placed the kitten carefully in the blanket and tilted her chin toward his face.

“So, I’ll be gone for a few hours today. Till after dinner. However, you won’t be alone for long, because Auntie Ronnie will be stopping by to play with you. Won’t that be fun? My suggestion while you wait would be for a good nap here on the couch and then…”

Ray heard Ronnie’s _rap-rap_ and the back door opening together, and Ronnie called out, “Hello there, I see you aren’t quite gone yet,” as she came through to the living room.

“Ronnie! I was just getting Peppermint all settled. I thought you’d be coming by later to visit? So that she wouldn’t have to be alone the rest of the day?”

“Well, I was at a good stopping point on my puzzle so I thought I’d come over now, bring my book, sit with her for awhile. So you can be on your way.” Ronnie settled herself next to Peppermint’s blanket on the couch, opening her book and giving Peppermint some very Ronnie side-eye. 

“Excellent, I _will_ be on my way. Enjoy your time with Auntie Ronnie, Pepper! Daddy Ray will see you this evening!” Ray knew he could relax and enjoy the drive and the meeting, with Ronnie there to snuggle the kitten. 

[](https://postimg.cc/HJLkY1CJ)

[Artwork Alt Text: Illustration of Ray wearing a pink T-shirt and holding up Peppermint, against a blue background] 

~~~~~

It had been a productive meeting. Ray had photos and outlines for three new “Your Closet Isn’t as Small as You Think It Is!” projects, and he’d managed to sit next to Frances rather than Mark at dinner, just in case there was any residual discomfort after their date. And now Ray was finally home and excited to see Peppermint.

He unlocked the back door and dropped his notebooks and travel mug on the kitchen table. He went through to the living room, figuring Pepper would be curled up in her blanket on the couch, hopefully sleeping peacefully after some nice playtime with Ronnie that afternoon.

The view in front of him brought him up short and then brought a wide smile to his face. There was Ronnie stretched out on the couch snoring, with Peppermint’s blanket covering her. Peppermint was curled tightly in a ball on Ronnie’s chest. Such a snuggly scene. 

Peppermint raised her head, looked at Ray, and yawned a huge yawn before standing up to stretch, using Ronnie’s stomach as a place to dig her claws in. The claws woke Ronnie up and Ray amusedly watched as Ronnie’s eyes opened and she took in where she was and who was making biscuits on her tummy. The best part was when she saw that she was being watched. Ray could see the moment when she decided not to argue about what was happening.

“Hi Ray. I took a little nap with Peppermint. Now I’m headed home.” Ronnie got up, grabbed her jacket, broke stride to pat Pepper’s head, and then opened the front door. 

“Ronnie,” Ray stopped her with his voice. “I’ll let you know what I find out when I talk to Fisher at the shelter on Monday. But just so you know, unless Peppermint is chipped or someone has called in looking for her, it looks like you and I have a cat!” 

Ronnie shook her head as she closed the door. Ray picked up Peppermint and laughed happily as he went into the kitchen to make himself some hot cocoa.

**Author's Note:**

> From the writer: Thank you to likerealpeopledo their help with brainstorming jokes; to DisgruntledPelican for the beta; and to RhetoricalQuestions for the amazing artwork and collaborative spirit! And to all three of them for their friendship!
> 
> From the artist: thank you anon writer for your friendship and collaboration! It's been an honor to have the opportunity to make art for your beautiful words!


End file.
